This time around
by passionrulesme
Summary: What would have happened if Éponine had told Marius how she really felt about him?


**My first les miserables fic! Good? Bad? Terrible? Let me know please, thanks and enjoy x**

"Did you find her?" Marius exclaimed as he bounced up from his seat the minutes his eyes laid upon Éponine. Her face instantly fell as soon the words left his sweet lips.

"No, sorry" Éponine lied, shaking her head. She knew exactly who the girl was. She was called Cosette, the daughter of a poor woman named Fantine. Cosette was sent to live with Éponine, her sister Azelma and her parents in the inn when she was very little. She did feel bad for Cosette since she was forced to work day and night to earn her keep while Éponine had it easy but the roles were reversed now.

Marius stood and ran his fingers though his hair, the delicate curls tangling around his fingers. He was frustrated, not with Éponine but that he let her go in the first place.

"I'm going to find her" Marius stated as he grabbed his coat from nearby and headed for the door, stopped by Éponine.

"Are you mad? You'll never find her!" She grabbed his arm but he shook her off.

"Come help me then" Éponine remained silent and looked to the floor. Marius sighed and walked closer to the door.

"Is finding a girl you barely known really more important than one of your best friends?" Éponine screamed as Marius began walking away but turned around as soon as Éponine's voice hit his ear.

"Well why don't you help me instead of making things more difficult?" Marius spat out as he took a couple of steps towards her.

"Why can't you see how hard his is for me?" She yelled back, running straight up to him.

"What's that suppose to mean?" Marius questioned, cocking his head slightly and raising his eyebrow.

"What the hell do you think it means? It means it's not easy watching you go after another girl while I try and ignore all these feelings that are bubbling up inside of me and just about ready to burst" A tear dropped from Éponine's eye as Marius brought his hand to her arm and she shuddered at the contact.

"'Ponine, you're crying" Marius murmured, still not fully processed the news that his best friend has just told him that she loves him.

"I have to go" whimpered Éponine as she turned and ran, pulling her coats around her tighter and allowing more tears to fall, leaving Marius with so many questions in his head.

A few weeks past, Marius and Éponine both spoke nothing of it until now.

"There's a boy climbing the barricade!" someone bellowed, Marius not even having time to check who it was before he was ducking down and covering his ears to muffle out the countless bangs of their guns. He opened his eyes to reveal Eponine, climbing down from the barricade. Despite what happened just weeks previous, he had asked her to take a letter to Cosette and was anxious and eager for her return.

"Well? Did she get the letter?" She didn't even open her mouth respond. Simply nodded then came falling to her knees, Marius soon following after.

"'Ponine! What's wrong?" Marius drew her close as she knelt up, a dash of red under s coat catching his eye. He ripped open the coat to reveal blood splattered all over her shirt and a wound between her stomach and chest, she had obviously been shot.

"Oh 'Ponine..." Marius whispered ghostly as he brought himself forward to hug her tightly. She shuddered slightly at the pain and fell into Marius's arms. He sat down, now with her head in his lap.

"Don't worry, you're safe now" Marius chocked out, being unable to hold back the odd tear. He cradled her in his arms and rocked her back and forth gently.

"Listen, 'Ponine. I need to know something" Éponine hummed in approval, totally lost in Marius's arms.

"When you said it was hard seeing me with another girl, what did you mean? Do you, have feelings for me" Éponine's eyes shot open faster than a pair of bullets.

"Yes. I know I shouldn't and I've been trying to ignore them but I can't take it anymore" Éponine sobbed, Marius hissing at her to shush as he tightened his grip on her and leaned his head on hers.

"Marius? I have one last request" Éponine uttered under her breath.

"Anything for you, dear 'Ponine" Marius replied as she brought herself up into a sitting position.

"Can you give me a goodbye kiss before I leave?" Éponine purred. Before Marius could speak to answer, he brought Éponine forward and brought their lips together in a slow kiss. Passion surrounded them in every which direction. As Marius pulled back from Éponine, his eyes fell upon her lifeless body as he held her tight for the very last time. It brought him some comfort to know that her last moment was filled with her greatest desire and not pain and struggle like the rest of her life...


End file.
